Psychoneuroendocrinology is the clinical study of hormone fluctuations and their relationship to human behaviour. It may be viewed from the perspective of psychiatry, where in certain mood disorders, there are associated neuroendocrine or hormonal changes. It may also be viewed from the perspective of endocrinology, where certain endocrine disorders can be associated with psychiatric illness. It is the blend of psychiatry and endocrinology. This new book presents the latest research advances in the field.
more intuitive study to greater empiricism. Frequently, chapters are di vided into discrete sections to discuss each rather distinct era of inquiry. This approach, when used, can provide a valuable historical overview of the early clinical formulations about each disease. Even though many of the earlier research philosophies and techniques may seem so simplistic as to mitigate against their inclusion, early research hypotheses were often generated from astute observation of clinical findings and relationships. In addition to shaping later empirical questions, a review of historical ante cedents provides a yardstick by which to measure the progress of more current studies, even though much is yet to be learned. As is true of any refinement of knowledge, the juxtaposition of the two approaches of study reveals that some of the early postulations about patient attributes and disease consequences have been confirmed, while other suppositions have been discarded. Although the generally subjective assessment methods used in the early studies may not have provided an optimal data base, it is interesting to note which clinical impressions were able to withstand greater empirical rigor and which were not. The book at its inception was intended to provide a succinct introduc tion to psychoneuroendocrinology research for practitioners and scientists who might be relatively unfamiliar with the area. However, it quickly became apparent that the sophistication of the information could not be readily reduced without vast oversimplification and loss of substance.
Psychoendocrinology covers the advances in the field of biology and the development of highly refined measurement techniques for hormones. The book discusses the partitioning of neuroendocrine steroids and peptides between vascular and cerebral compartments; the mechanisms of the female reproductive behavior; and the sensory, hormonal, and neural determinant of maternal behavior. The text describes the effects of sexual behavior on gonadal function in rodents; the hormonal regulation of learning performance; and the hormonal modulation of memory. The psychobiological perspective on the psychoneuroendocrinology of stress and the behavioral effects of the endogenous opioids are also considered. The book further tackles the hormonal interactions on temperature regulation and temperature regulation under modified physiological states. Endocrinologists, psychobiologists, neurologists, neurobiologists, and students taking related courses will find the book useful.
Traumatic brain injury (TBI) remains a significant source of death and permanent disability, contributing to nearly one-third of all injury related deaths in the United States and exacting a profound personal and economic toll. Despite the increased resources that have recently been brought to bear to improve our understanding of TBI, the developme
The explosion of research activity in the field of neuropeptides has led to the idenfication of numerous naturally occurring endogenous peptides which act as neurotransmitters, neuromodulators, or trophic factors, to mediate nervous system functions. Increasing numbers of non-peptide ligands of neuropeptide receptors have been developed, which act as agonists or antagonists in peptidergic systems. The scope of this book includes gene regulation of peptide expression, peptide receptor subtypes, transgenic and knockout mice with mutations in genes for neuropeptides and peptide receptors, neuroanatomy, physiology, behaviour, neurotrophic factors, preclinical drug evaluation, clinical studies, and clinical trials.
Stress is such an over-used word that it is at time difficult to define its core features. When is an environment stressful? What does a stressful environment do to the brain and to the body? What are the biological mechanisms by which a stressor affects us? How does stress contributes to the onset and the progression of mental disorders? How do the effects of stress change over the life-time of an individual? These are just some of the overarching questions addressed by this book, thanks to the contribution of some of the world leading experts on the neurobiology of stress at the pre-clinical and clinical levels. Topics include current advances on the neurobiology of stress on various neurobiological systems such as immune, hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, neurogenesis and neuroplasticity, neurotransmitter (glutamate, noradrenaline, dopamine, serotonin and endocannabinoid), neuropeptides, cognition and emotional processing as well as in utero and early postnatal effects. The clinical chapters deal with the relationship of stress and mental disorders such as depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, substance abuse and addiction, dementia and age-related cognitive decline as well as resilience to stress. Thus, this book brings together some of the most updated and authoritative views on the effects of stress of brain and behavior.
The prevention, diagnosis and treatment of stress-related disorders are major challenges across medical disciplines. Reasons include a missing covariance between the psychological and physiological stress response and a tremendous intra-individual complexity of disease-related factors, resulting in a broad inter-individual heterogeneity of pathogenetic mechanisms. This book introduces 'Neuropattern', a new concept that attempts to assess the activity of neuroendocrine interfaces participating in the communication between the brain and the body during stress. This approach allows close examination of the causal mechanisms behind stress-related disturbances and diseases, thus enabling individualized preventive and therapeutic interventions. This publication provides clinicians, researchers and students from the fields of psychiatry, psychology, neurobiology and psychoendocrinology with an excellent overview of how knowledge from basic psychobiological research can be translated for the benefit of their patients.
Based on the presentations given by well-known specialists at a recent multidisciplinary conference of developmental psychobiologists, obstetricians, and physiologists, this book is the first exhaustive attempt to synthesize the present scientific knowledge on fetal behavior. Utilizing a psychobiological analytic approach, it provides the reader with an overview of the perspectives, hypotheses, and experimental results from a group of basic scientists and clinicians who conduct research to elucidate the role of fetal behavior in development. Experimental and clinical as well as human and animal data are explored via comparative developmental analysis. The ontogeny of fetal spontaneous activity -- via the maturation of "behavioral states" -- and of fetal responsiveness to sensory stimulation is studied in detail. Results are provided from studies of embryonic/fetal and newborn behavior in chicks, rats, sheep, primates, and humans. Knowledge of fetal behavior is crucial to the obstetrician, neonatologist, developmental psychologist, and even the future parents, in order to follow and assess the gradual development of spontaneous responsive movements of the fetus. While assessing this important information, this text also examines the neuro-behavioral events taking place during the fetal period as an aid to understanding normal and pathological life span development.
There is an increasing focus on medical studies related to differences between men and women, and women’s mental health stands out as one of the most important fields where sex-based differences are being investigated. Overall, studies show an existence of important sex-specific differences in several aspects of psychiatric disorders such as etiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation and therapeutics. In this book, recognized experts present the current state of knowledge on this topic, providing a reliable, accurate and comprehensive clinical guide to women's mental health. The book will steer clear of an in-depth discussion of genetics and sex-based differences to focus quickly and narrowly on how best to diagnose and treat psychiatric disorders in women, thereby offering a targeted and practical guide for clinicians. It is intended to serve a broad audience -- including psychiatrists, psychologists, family physicians, obstetricians, gynecologists, nurses, social workers and other medical and mental health providers with an interest in women's mental health. Women's Mental Health: A Clinical and Evidence-Based Guide will be fully evidence-based and will present chapters authored by distinguished leaders with extensive experience and clinical wisdom in this area. It offers psychiatrists, psychologists, family physicians, obstetricians, gynecologists, nurses, social workers and other medical and mental health providers a valuable source of information to enhance their clinical practice.
A comprehensive, multidisciplinary review, Neural Plasticity and Memory: From Genes to Brain Imaging provides an in-depth, up-to-date analysis of the study of the neurobiology of memory. Leading specialists share their scientific experience in the field, covering a wide range of topics where molecular, genetic, behavioral, and brain imaging techniq
